10 Best Google Apps That You Have No Idea About

There are various Google apps that we use extensively in our day to day life but did you know that Google has more than 100 apps published on the Play Store and Apple App Store. Yes, that’s right! Apart from the insanely popular Google apps like Gmail, Maps, Search, Chrome etc., there are various cool apps from Google and its subsidiaries. And considering it’s Google we are talking about, there are some very cool apps that you have no idea about. So, here are 10 amazing Google apps that you don’t know about:

1. PhotoScan

PhotoScan is a cool little app from Google which allows users to save their physical photos in digital form. The app basically uses your smartphone’s camera to let you scan and save your favorite printed photos. We all know how good Google is with its camera software and the same is true with this app. The app doesn’t just take a photo of your printed photos, rather, it creates enhanced digital scans. The app brings features such as glare-free scans, automatic cropping based on edge detection, rectangular scans with perspective correction, and smart rotation to give you a perfect scan of your photos. The best part is that all scanned pictures are saved on Google Photos where they are organized and categorized and are searchable. This is definitely one of the coolest apps made by Google which not many people know about.

2. Neighbourly

Marked as “Unreleased”, Neighbourly is still being developed and not been properly released on the Play Store. That said, the app is available to download and use for the users who want to. It’s one of those apps which has a huge potential and I enjoy using it on a regular basis. The premise of the app is pretty simple. It allows you to ask questions about a locality to the people living in that locality. Neighbourly allows you to get answers to your questions by pooling the power of the public. Every question posted on the app is available to all the users in that area. This means you can also provide answers to questions asked by other people. As I said, I love this app and can see it becoming a big locality-based knowledge resource in the future.

3. Toontastic 3D

Toontastic 3D is an app that is primarily aimed at kids but can be fun for users of any age. The app allows users to create animated characters and tell stories through them using easy to use drag and drop tools. Just move your characters around onscreen and tell your story. The app can also record your voice and animations and store it on your device as a 3D video. Overall, I found this app to be quite engaging and entertaining and I can see why kids fall in love with this. This is a great app and you should definitely check it out.

4. My Maps

The Google My Maps app is a stellar app and it’s a surprise that we have never heard about it. The app lets you use regions in a map to add your own pointers and details, so basically it lets you create your very own custom map. For instance, you can mark your favorite locations in the city and then use it later to show your friend around. You can save a map, create new maps and even share maps with your friends. Sounds pretty useful, right?

5. Google Authenticator

Google Authenticator is an app aimed to make your two-step verification on Google accounts even more secure and hassle-free. To start using the app, you will first have to set up 2-step verification on your Google account. After it’s set up, you will be able to use codes from the app instead of getting codes via text or email. The app generates new 2-step verification codes timely, so that nobody opens the app and gets your code.

6. Cardboard Camera

We have already talked in detail about the Google Cardboard Camera app but if you have still missed out, here’s the deal. The Cardboard Camera app lets you take virtual reality pictures from your phone to later view in a Google cardboard headset. These VR pictures have 360 degree 3D attributes, depth as well as sound.

7. Spotlight Stories

As Google puts it aptly, “Google Spotlight Stories is your mobile movie theater“. The amazing app brings you some of the most immersive stories you can watch on your smartphone. There are stories or movies using 3D/2D animation, 360° spherical cinema-quality video, full-sphere surround sound and sensor fusion techniques to make you feel you are part of the all the action. Trust me, you have to watch it to believe it.

While there aren’t many stories in the app, you must watch the ones already there. The graphics are certainly beautiful and you will surely appreciate it. Go try it out and thank us later!

8. Arts & Culture

Arts & Culture is another great Google app that hasn’t received the traction it deserves. For all you art and history lovers out there, the app lets you explore arts, historic wonders, cultural artifacts and more from over 850 archives, museums and other history organizations. There’s ability to take 360 degree panoramic tours, read about various artworks, discover art gems, and view some amazing art in great detail. If you have an interest in art, history and culture, this Google app should definitely keep you engrossed.

9. Google Express

Google Express is the company’s same-day shopping app that lets you shop from local stores like Costco, Walgreens and Target. The app lets you buy the usual household items from these stores to be delivered on the same day or the very next day.

Sadly, the service is only available in a few regions including San Francisco, California, Manhattan, Chicago, Boston, Washington DC and Nevada. While the app is available for free, you can get a free membership for $10/month, which brings free delivery on eligible products. If you have a free account, delivery charges start at $4.99.

10. Accessibility Scanner

As the names suggest, Accessibility Scanner is a tool aimed at developers, so that they can edit various interface elements for people with eyesight disabilities. To start using it, you will first have to enable the app in Settings->Accessibility. Once enabled, you will see a floating button that lets you capture a page for suggestions. You can press the button in any page and the app will take the screenshot and scan the page for any suggestions around UI elements it can make. The suggestions include touch targets, item name or label, text contrast etc. You can then share the info with an app’s developer requesting them to make the changes.

All set to try out some cool new Google apps?

Chances are you’ve heard of some of the apps in the list but you most probably haven’t heard about most of them. Honestly, even we had no idea about some of the Google apps on the list and after trying them, we were pleasantly surprised by how good these apps were. Well, it was a little expected, considering these are Google Apps we are talking about.

There are some more unknown Google apps out there but most of them are aimed at businesses or enterprises and from the consumer point of view, these are no doubt the best lesser-known Google apps. So, try them out and let us know your favorite app in the comments section below.

Rupesh is a section editor here and one of the hosts at our YouTube channel. A long time mobile lover and technology aficionado, he loves to indulge in all things technology! In his free time (which is non-existent), he loves watching Westworld, Silicon Valley, and Game of Thrones, obviously.